The present invention is directed to a rack for temporarily storing and transporting parts, such as automotive body panels. More particularly, the present invention is directed to such a rack that is adjustable for use with parts of varying size and or shape.
Part storage racks of various types and designs would be well known to those skilled in the art. Such racks may include individual shelves or compartments on/within which parts are stored. Other similar racks may include various styles of parts hangers that permit parts to be suspended within the confines of the rack frame. These racks are generally employed to store parts on a temporary basis, such as until they are needed in an associated manufacturing process.
Certain embodiments of such racks may be stationary in nature. Other embodiments may be mobile, which typically allows for the towing thereof to a desired location via a tow motor or some other powered means. In this latter embodiment, a rack may be loaded with a number of parts at a first location, such as at or near the point of manufacture, and subsequently transported to another location associated with their ultimate use.
At least with respect to a manufacturing environment, it can be easily understood that a multitude of different parts may need to be stored and/or transported in this manner. Due to the often dissimilar nature of the size and/or shape of such parts, however, a number of specialized racks are generally required for this purpose.
While such a scenario may be typical to many manufacturing (and non-manufacturing) environments, it is particularly common in the vehicle manufacturing industry. Consequently, while it is to be understood that the present invention is in no way limited to such use, for purposes of simplicity, a vehicle manufacturing setting will be used hereafter with respect to describing the present invention.
Obviously, the manufacturing of a vehicle requires a multitude of different individual components. While some of these components may be similar in size and/or shape, most are not. Even related components may be sufficiently dissimilar as to require separate, dedicated parts storage racks. For example, the various panels that make up a common vehicle body can be quite dissimilar in size and/or shape—often necessitating the use of dedicated parts racks for each one thereof.
This situation can be further complicated when a single facility manufactures more than one model of vehicle, in which case multiple dedicated racks may, for example, be required for even the same body panel (e.g., hood, fender, etc.) of different vehicle models. Consequently, it is evident that the requirement for different parts storage racks can quickly grow to a significant level.
This is problematic for several reasons. First, and perhaps most obvious, is the cost involved to manufacture such racks. That is, the more racks required, the greater the acquisition cost. Further, in addition to the initial manufacturing cost, dedicated parts racks typically must be modified each time there is a sufficiently significant change to the parts that such racks are designed to store. With respect to vehicle manufacturing, this situation almost certainly occurs at each new model introduction, but may also occur more frequently, such as at the time of the intermediate redesigns that most vehicle manufacturers now undertake. In some cases, a redesigned part may be sufficiently different in size and/or shape so as to require an entirely new rack; or at least a substantially new portion thereof.
In addition to the costs associated with part rack acquisition or modification, such racks can also occupy significant floor space in a factory or other setting. Consequently, a greater number of racks will require a greater amount of floor space—whether the racks are in use or not. Still further, the use of multiple racks requires familiarity therewith by workers to ensure that the proper rack is used with a particular part. The use of a greater number of racks may also lead to inefficiency, as workers will likely be required to spend more time sorting through, moving and staging the racks in order to ensure that the proper rack is available when needed.
Therefore, it can be understood that a parts storage rack that can be easily adjusted to accommodate a variety of different parts would be highly desirable for a number of reasons. A parts storage rack of the present invention provides such sought after adjustability.